Portable infant urinal

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to a portable urinal for infants, both male and female, and includes a relatively hollow body defining a chamber in which is housed liquid-absorbing material, the body being of a generally triangularly shaped outline for male infants and of a generally shallow U-shaped outline for female infants, the male infant urinal including a rear wall having a relatively small opening for receiving an infant&#39;&#39;s penis while the female urinal includes a relatively elongated opening, and in each case the urinal is constructed from relatively chemically inert pliable synthetic polymeric material.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Donald R. Cordell;

Joan H. Cordell, 11 Auburn Ave., both of Somerville, Mass. 02154 [21]Appl. No. 767,999

[22] Filed Oct. 16,1968

(45] Patented June 8,1971

[54] PORTABLE INFANT URINAL 4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 128/295 [51] Int. Cl A611 5/44 [50] Field of Search 128/284,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,329,195 1/1920 Martinka128/286 2,277,043 3/1942 Cohn 128/286X 2,711,736 6/1955 Petitpas [28/2863,182,661 5/1965 Ribeiro et a1. 128/286 3,192,926 7/1965 Callaghan128/286 3,258,011 6/1966 Goodman l28/260x 3,424,160 1/1969 Koomwinder etal. 128/286 3,441,023 4/1969 Rijssenbeek 128/287 3,441,024 4/1969 Ralph128/287 Primary ExaminerCharles F Rosenbaum Attorney-Diner, Brown, Ramik& Holt ABSTRACT: This disclosure relates to a portable urinal forinfants, both male and female, and includes a relatively hollow bodydefining a chamber in which is housed liquid-absorbing material, thebody being of a generally triangularly shaped outline for male infantsand of a generally shallow U-shaped outline for female infants, the maleinfant urinal including a rear wall having a relatively small openingfor receiving an infant's penis while the female urinal includes arelatively elongated opening, and in each case the urinal is constructedfrom relatively chemically inert pliable synthetic polymeric materi-PATENTEUJUN 8|97l 33583402 V B INVENTORS DDNQLD RCORDELLG" JOQN H.CORDELL PORTABLE INFANT URINAL A primary object of this invention is toprovide a novel urinal of a portable and disposable nature particularlyadapted for infant use as a substitute for conventional diapers, theurinal including a relatively hollow body defining a chamber, the bodyincluding a pair of relatively spaced triangularly shaped front and rearwalls, a top wall and a pair of sidewalls converging in a direction awayfrom the top wall to impart a generally triangularly shaped outline tothe body as viewed in front elevation, a relatively smallpenis-receiving opening in the rear wall, and liquid-absorbing materialin the chamber for absorbing and retaining urine.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel portable infanturinal of the tube heretofore described including recess means in theliquid-absorbing material adjacent the opening.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel portableurinal for a female infant including a relatively hollow body defining achamber, the body being defined by a pair of sidewalls and at least oneend wall, the body being of a generally shallow U-shaped configurationas viewed in side elevation, the sidewalls having oppositely openingconcave wall portions adapted to comfortably dispose the body betweenthe legs of a female infant, and liquid-absorbing material in thechamber.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel portable femaleurinal of the tube immediately set forth wherein the body is constructedfrom relatively chemically insert pliable synthetic polymeric material,and the body terminates in a top edge defining an opening of the chamberthrough which urine may pass for absorption by the liquid-absorbingmaterial, and the opening being of a generally U-shaped configurationwith the legs thereof being defined by the body sidewalls.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear,the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by referenceto the following detailed description, the appended claimed subjectmatter, and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a schematic front perspective view of a male infant, andillustrates in phantom outline a novel portable urinal of this inventiondisposed in its operative position and maintained thereat by a pair ofpants, a diaper or similar underclothing.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken through the urinal, and more clearlyillustrates the operative position thereof relative to the genital areaof the infant.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top perspective view of the infant urinal with arear wall thereof removed for clarity, and illustrates the generallytriangular configuration of the urinal and liquid-absorbing materialhoused in a chamber thereof.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken generally along line 4-4 of FIG. 3, andillustrates a tubular portion of the urinal rear wall projecting intothe liquid-absorbing material.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, and illustrates aportable urinal for a female infant disposed in its position of use.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the female urinal of FIG. 5, andillustrates liquid-absorbing material in a chamber of the urinal havinga relatively elongated opening and concavely contoured sidewalls forfacilitating the comfortable positioning of the urinal between the legsof a female infant.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken generally along line 7-7 of FIG. 6, andmore clearly illustrates the details of the female urinal.

Reference is first made to FIGS. 1 through 4 of the drawing whichillustrate a novel disposable portable cartridge-type male urinal whichis generally designated by the reference numeral 10. The urinal 10includes a relatively hollow body 11 which is preferably constructedfrom chemically inert pliable synthetic polymeric material, such apolyethylene or similar plastic material. The body 11 includes a frontwall 12 (FIG. 4), a rear wall 13, a top wall 14, and a pair of sidewalls15, 16. The front and rear walls l2, 13, respectively, merge smoothlywith the walls 14 through 16 at rounded generally triangularly shapededges 17, 18 which impart an overall triangular shape to 4) urinal 10 asviewed in both front and rear elevations, as is best illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawing. The urinal body 11 is thereby providedwith a like-shaped chamber which is generally designated by thereference numeral 20.

A tubular portion 21 FIGS. 3 and 4) of the rear wall 13 is directed intothe chamber 20 and defines an opening for receiving the penis of a maleinfant.

Liquid-absorbing material 22, such as cotton, is housed in the chamber20 and includes a recess 23 into which is received the tubular wallportion 21. The tubular wall portion 21 thereby functions to maintainthe penis out of contact with the liquid-absorbing material 22, althoughin further keeping with this invention, the tubular wall portion 21 maybe omitted while the recess 23 would be retained to likewise function toprevent the infants penis from contacting subsequently theurine-saturated portions of the absorbent material 22.

In operation the urinal I0 is supplied to an infant in the mannerclearly illustrated in FIG. 2 with the penis P thereof projecting intothe tubular wall portion 21, or in the absence of the latter, into theremaining recess 23 of the liquid-absorbing material 22. It is to benoted that due to the triangular shape of the urinal 10 the same iscomfortably disposed in the genital area of the infant I, as is bestillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing. The urinal may, of course,be held in the position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 by a suitablegarment G, such as a pair of pants or similar underclothing, or aconventional diaper.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description and theillustrations of FIGS. 1 and 2 that the rounded corners and the pliablenature of the urinal l0 allow the same to be comfortably positioned asillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Furthermore, both in the absence of thetubular wall portion 21 in which case an opening is merely formedgenerally centrally of the rear wall 13, or in the presence of thetubular wall portion 21, the recess 23 of the liquid-absorbing material20 maintains the latter out of contact with the penis and immediate bodyportions of the genital area, thereby eliminating the discomfort ofdiaper rash or similar skin irritations resulting from prolonged bodycontact with urine, as in the case of conventional diapers.

It is also well recognized that very young infants are relativelyimmobile yet due to their liquid diets their frequency of urination ismuch more pronounced immediately after birth than at a time severalmonths thereafter. During this early stage an infant will lie prone onhis back, abdomen or either side with relatively little movement. Theconstruction of the urinal 10 takes these facts into consideration, andin this regard reference is made to FIG. 3 in particular. Assuming thatthe urinal 10 is positioned with the top wall disposed uppermost, asillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the volume beneath the plane A-A definedby portions of the walls 12, 13, 15 and 16 defines a urine trap" whichcan collect an appreciable amount of urine, even beyond that absorbed bythe liquid-absorbing material 22 disposed in this volume. Thus, when theinfant is lying on his back, his abdomen or is being held in an uprightor sitting position a generally triangularly shaped volume is providedfor the immediate receipt and absorption of urine.

Should the infant by lying on one side or the other a generallyrectangular volume is similarly provided between the planes 8-H and C-Cand the adjacent walls l6, l5, respeftively. Thus, in every naturalposition of the infant a relative y large volume is provided fordirectly receiving, absorbing and retaining urine, and even when theinfant attains appreciable mobility the substantially entirely enclosedtriangular urinal 10 constitutes an effective urine trap irrespective ofthe infant's position.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 5 through 7 of the drawing whichillustrate another disposable urinal, generally designated by thereference numeral 30. The urinal 30 is particularly adapted for use uponfemale infants and includes a body 31 which is preferably constructedfrom a single piece of relatively chemically inert pliable syntheticpolymeric material.

The body 31 includes a bottom wall 32 (FIG. 7), a pair of sidewalls 33,34, a front wall 35 and a rear wall 36. The sidewalls 33, 34 aregenerally of a shallow U-shaped configuration as viewed in sideelevation, as is best illustrated in FIG. of the drawing. This U-shapedor question mark configuration of the urinal 30 permits the same to becomfortably positioned and accommodated at the genital area of thefemale infant, as is clearly illustrated in FIG. 5. Furthermore, thesidewalls 33, 34 are of an oppositely opening concave configurationtapering outwardly from a longitudinal centerline of the body 31 toaccommodate in a comfortable manner the legs of the female infant.

An upper portion of the body 3] includes a terminal edge 37 defining anopening 38 of a chamber 40 in which is housed liquid-absorbing material41, such as cotton. An upper surface 42 of the material 41 adjacent theedge 37 is preferably recessed, as shown in FIG. 7, to prevent directcontact between the liquid-absorbing material 4! and the infant toprevent rashes or similar discomforts which might otherwise occur.

The advantages heretofore outlined relative to the male urinal areequally applicable to the female urinal 30. It should be particularlynoted in this regard that the particular shape of the chamber 40likewise provides an urine trap for any position which might be assumedby the female infant. With respect to FIGS. 6 and 7, the plane A-A' andthe adjacent sidewall 34 set off a volume of appreciable size if, forexample, the infant is lying on her right side while the plane B'B' andthe adjacent sidewall 33 likewise define another volume if the infant islying on her left side. Since for the most part the infant will be in aposition on her back the major volume for direct urine absorption is thelargest and is defined between the plane C'-C, the bottom wall 32, andportions of the end and sidewalls.

While preferred forms and arrangements of parts have been shown inillustrating the invention, it is to be clearly understood that variouschanges in details and arrangement of parts may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

We claim:

3. A disposable portable urinal adapted for infant use comprising arelatively hollow body of liquid-impermeable material defining a chamberwhich includes a rear wall adapted to be disposed adjacent the genitalarea of an infant and a front wall remote and in spaced relationship tosaid rear wall, means defining an opening in said rear wall, saidopening defining means being an integral tubular portion of said rearwall projecting toward but terminating short of said front wall,liquidabsorbing material in said chamber but not in said tubular portionfor preventing contact between the genital area and the liquid-absorbingmaterial, and wall means of said body being so relatively disposed as todefine urine traps in any normal position of an infant.

2. The urinal as defined in claim 1 wherein said body is constructedfrom relatively chemically inert pliable synthetic polymeric material.

3. The urinal as defined in claim 1 wherein said rear wall is of agenerally triangularly shaped configuration, and said opening isdisposed generally centrally thereof.

4. The urinal as defined in claim 1 wherein said urinal consists solelyof said body including the tubular portion thereof and saidliquid-absorbing material, and said body is formed as a single walledintegral homogeneous polymeric material member.

1. A disposable portable urinal adapted for infant use comprising arelatively hollow body of liquid-impermeable material defining a chamberwhich includes a rear wall adapted to be disposed adjacent the genitalarea of an infant and a front wall remote and in spaced relationship tosaid rear wall, means defining an opening in said rear wall, saidopening defining means being an integral tubular portion of said rearwall projecting toward but terminating short of said front wall,liquid-absorbing material in said chamber but not in said tubularportion for preventing contact between the genital area and theliquid-absorbing material, and wall means of said body being sorelatively disposed as to define urine traps in any normal position ofan infant.
 2. The urinal as defined in claim 1 wherein said body isconstructed from relatively chemically inert pliable synthetic polymericmaterial.
 3. The urinal as defined in claim 1 wherein said rear wall isof a generally triangularly shaped configuration, and said opening isdisposed generally centrally thereof.
 4. The urinal as defined in claim1 wherein said urinal consists solely of said body including the tubularportion thereof and said liquid-absorbing material, and said body isformed as a single walled integral homogeneous polymeric materialmember.